Football Diplomacy

A new Lowy Institute Policy Brief urges the Australian government, business and community groups to use Australia’s hosting of the Asian Cup in 2015 to strengthen Australia’s broader engagement with Asia.

‘Football Diplomacy Redux: The 2015 Asian Cup and Australia’s engagement with Asia’, by Research Director Anthony Bubalo, builds on earlier work by the Lowy Institute on football diplomacy – specifically on how Australia’s membership of the Asian Football Confederation offers new opportunities to strengthen economic, political and community ties with the region.

In the new report, Bubalo points out that while football diplomacy is gaining greater currency – and was mentioned in the Federal Government’s Asian Century White Paper – examples of football diplomacy have been largely ‘episodic and ad hoc’.
‘The Asian Cup will bring the national teams of some of our most important partners in Asia to Australia.  There is an excellent opportunity to use the tournament as a focal point for business networking, public diplomacy and holding events such as cultural and street football festivals that enhance people-to-people links with the region’, argues Bubalo.

‘Grasping these opportunities will require some preparation and it needs to start now.’

The Brief argues that the various stakeholders – government, the Asian Cup Local Organising Committee, business and community groups – should form a Football Asia Council to coordinate a program of football diplomacy activities around the Asian Cup.  There should be a one-stop digital and social media platform to support networking and engagement activities.  There also needs to be targeted support from government and the Football Federation for those groups already planning football diplomacy activities, including through Australia’s diplomatic and trade network in Asia.

The Brief draws on the ideas generated at a November 2012 conference held by the Lowy Institute, in conjunction with the 2015 Asian Cup Local Organising Committee, that brought together a diverse group of government officials, businesspeople and community representatives.

‘As its simplest level, football diplomacy is the use of a common interest in football to create networks and lasting relationships.  At a time when we are trying to broaden and deepen our engagement with Asia we must ensure that the thousands that will come to Australia for the Cup and the millions that will watch it on television take more from the experience than a few games of football.’